Loved this book. It had a great twist and the plot was exciting and heart warming. I loved the dystopian setting and the issues facing the characters.

Thank you Netgalley and Publishers for granting me early access to "Overdrawn".

I'm currently in the middle of a major move, and will definitely come back at a later time and write out a full review and rating.

Thank you so much!

I was so excited to be invited on the blogtour for Overdrawn as I LOVE dystopian fiction, and this little gem of a book did not disappoint! Overdrawn is punchy and pacy, yet packed with heart and tender relationships; I became emotionally invested from the very beginning.

On the face of it, the whole premise of Overdrawn seems completely bonkers; yet the terrifying fact is that it is totally believable and utterly plausible. I yo-yo’d through a range of emotions as I turned the pages of Overdrawn; but the one that struck me most was the horror at the macabre “Moving-On” parties (arranged for when people thought that they had become too much of a burden to society). The forced gaiety was almost too much to bear!

I was enraptured by Overdrawn; totally sucked in and consumed by the story of Henry and Kaitlyn, yet simultaneously stupefied and gobsmacked by Crosskey’s clever and captivating tale.

When I finished Overdrawn I could hear my heart hammering in my chest and reverberating in my ears: What. A. Ride. This politically charged, dystopian drama was both thought-provoking and heart-breaking and left me with a bittersweet taste in my mouth. I look forward to whatever stroke of genius Crosskey offers up next, but in the meantime I’ll be buying her first book; Poster Boy.

This book feels timely and topical and will make you think. Really well written and absolutely worth the hype.

I kind of enjoyed this book. It didn’t keep me glued to it. Characters and plot ok but I just couldn’t get into it all

There were parts of this story that I found really interesting and there were parts I didn’t like. I do not like the idea of dying when you choose. I did not like how the book ended for Chloe and Henry. There are some parts of the story that show that there is still kindness in humanity. This kindness made the story more likeable.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

This felt a bit too harrowing so I had difficulty reading this. The issue I had that it seemed all too probable and was suprisingly scary. However the characters did feel a bit weak and I struggled to care about both sets as it would have worked better if it focused on Henry and his wife solely.

This is such a fascinating dystopian world that really made me think. Set in the near-ish future, when the millennials (or "snowflakes") are elderly, it shines a harsh light on society and its priorities

This book follows Henry, a middle aged/elderly man, and Kaitlyn, a twenty something year old. Both are from very different generations, with life-altering policies and public opinions separating them. Henry is desperate to find the money to fund his wife's expensive prescription, while Kaitlyn is working all hours to fund her brother's life support machine. When their lives become entangled the assumptions and attitudes of them and everyone around them become irrevocably challenged

I really enjoyed following the two main characters, watching their attitudes towards one another, and their corresponding generations, alter. They both showed such incredible growth and were amazingly fleshed out characters. The commentary on death and youth was super interesting and really made me think

This book reminded me a little of The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood and The Disappeared by Amy Lord. I love a good dystopian book!

I loved this book! I was intrigued by it immediately. Very interesting concept that hooks you in! I hope to read more by this author in the future.

Perhaps it is because I have a hidden disability or perhaps it is because I am 46 years old and looking forward to retirement within the next ten years, or, maybe it is just because I was raised with morals, but, the idea of an Ableist and/or Ageist society makes me sick to my stomach. Maybe it is because I see certain countries as already heading in this direction. Maybe my disgust with ableism is because I am #Canadian and have always been a firm believer that access to healthcare is a right that everyone should have. Access to quality healthcare should never be denied to anyone no matter their race, religion, age, color, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation, gender, disabilities or for any other reason.

In OVERDRAWN, author N.J. Crosskey has created a dystopian society with ageism at its core. "... they'd been bombarded with it, for years. The need to do one's duty. It was the responsibility of all patriotic citizens to think always of the future generations before themselves. It was good and noble, to end one's life rather than take up more than your rightful share of the world's resources. To make sure you played your part in a fairer, more sustainable, future."

The author uses fiction to highlight some of what is wrong with today's society. In humanity's past, elders were revered for their wisdom and knowledge. Today's society no longer thinks that way. Warehousing our senior citizens in old age homes and ignoring them has become commonplace. I see this as a huge problem and author N.J. Crosskey seems to agree with me.

"How many lies were out there, masquerading as the truth?"

OVERDRAWN is an eye-opening look at one possible future and should scare the heck out of everyone who reads it for the simple fact that it is so plausible.

With characters of depth and of varying ages and viewpoints, author NJ Crosskey has created a wonderful work of dystopian fiction that should be on the top of everyone's reading list for September 2019. Not only is her world-building truly exceptional, her characters relatable, and the plot fast-paced, but this book is detailed enough to provide everything a truly discerning reader could hope for.

I rate OVERDRAWN as 5 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone who reads this review. Who knows - It just may change your world view.

I really enjoyed Poster Boy when I read it earlier this year so I was quite excited to get my hands on this book. And I am pleased to report that I loved it just as much, although, like its predecessor, it scared me a bit too. We are in a dystopian world where basic resources are running out. To this end, people are encouraged to end life when they get sick rather than hang on, stripping the meagre resources from the healthy, euthanasia is actively encouraged! Everyone is given "credits", the amount being based on their place in society and when they run out, well...
We meet our two main characters at a time when things are getting rather tough for them. Henry is 60, married to Chloe who is on the descent into dementia. Henry is doing everything to prolong Chloe's life. Luckily, his financial position is enabling him to hang on but that is precarious as there are those waiting in the wings to inherit. Kaitlyn works a very low paid job as a waitress but is really trying to do her best for her brother who is on life support and, consequently, draining all her credits, so much so that she is heavily in debt.
Their worlds collide when they meet, first at the cafe where Kaitlyn works and then at the hospital. The two strike up an unlikely friendship which then spirals into a plan. The outcome of which could be the saving of both themselves and their loved ones.
I say that this was a bit scary, well, with population explosion and resources and healthcare on the brink of collapse here in the UK, even despite all the Brexit promises, the things depicted in this book are not without the realm of credibility. Hopefully not in my lifetime though. But food for thought nonetheless.
In this book, the author has created some of the best characters I have read about in time. They all came across as completely real and I could feel their fear and angst dripping from each page as I read. Henry and Kaitlyn are chalk and cheese but share so many frustrations that their relationship swiftly develops, after a few initial stutters, and the plan they conceive appears to be their only way out. Aside from them, my favourite character must be Chloe, oh how I felt for her every step of the way and I felt that her portrayal was so accurate that I became a bit of an emotional wreck at times whilst reading.
Part depressing, part uplifting, and containing some wonderful humour, the book remains balanced throughout although I did run the whole gamut of emotions as things ebbed and flowed for our heroes along the way. It was compelling and I was very reluctant to put I down as I really needed to see how things panned out for everyone. No spoilers but the ending did leave me satisfied. Bittersweet but it was as it should have been.
With two winners under her belt now, I really can't wait to she what the author serves up next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This was such a current emotional topic, give it 5 years and this could be reading as a contemporary...

Euthanasia is legal, and people are encouraged to do this in order to create a more sustainable future, not to burden the youth.

It was so relevant and found it fascinating reading about the way the world could be. One of the things I most enjoyed was the relationships in this book. It really delved into peoples past, how it made them the way they are today, and that we really don't understand what people are going through. It was emotional and the author really took me on a journey with this book. it was fast-paced, I was waiting on every page to see where Henry and Kaitlyns relationship progressed.

Would 100% recommend this book!

I really enjoyed this right up until the end of the book . . . which didn't quite work for me.



Review copy provided by publisher.

An unnerving societal tale heaving with the morals of a contemporary Dickensian Britain and a whiff of Animal Farm. It presented a terrifying vision of a future that sent chills down my spine.

Why? Well, citizens are graded as though they are assets and appraised accordingly. They are allocated an EP (earning potential) according to their education, health, and employability status, leaving the impoverished, sick and the elderly condemned to live within their means or merit, or accept the harsh reality that their existence is no longer ‘viable’.

So the widely accepted solution for when the funds or empathy run out is irreversible, as the affected should the decent thing and expire in a timely fashion, politely referred to as ‘moving on’ – commonly known as tactless and despicable, to you and me.

Of a system built on the kind of cost that is simply too awful to contemplate retiree Henry asks, “was this the next level of natural selection?”

This is certainly a sobering read in which he and young Kaitlyn endeavour to bridge the gap between the generations, experiencing the transience of life and embracing the legacies they may ultimately leave behind.
A pioneering and thought-provoking story that evaluates what is truly important.

Like most science fiction dystopia type novels this really grabbed my attention. Something about taking what is a simple act as growing old and basing a whole world where this just doesn't take place anymore amazed me as a reader. How would the author manage to make such a thing believable but also interesting to the reader. Well lets just say not only did she manage to grab my attention but she also made me question the
way that we as a society live and how I view others. In this book growing old is frowned upon and viewed and unnecessary. When a person reaches an elder stage they are euthanized so only the young and the healthy survive. This book brings together our two main characters Kaitlyn, a young woman struggling to keep her brother alive on live support, while the costs pile up and the hospital demanding that his machine gets turned off as well as Henry an older gentleman who watched his wife pass away and must now survive on his own in a world where people his age are unaccepted and shamed. Both characters are dealing with a terrible
situation because of the new way elders are treated and both are at their wits end with it. This made their connection to each other very powerful and true. Both characters meet and come up with a mutual way to keep both of their lives a float as well as getting funds for each of them. I really enjoyed the concept of this book because while I've read a lot of dystopia type novels I've never read anything even remotely similar to this. It is an amazing concept that I never would have thought of and it made for a great and compelling read. There weren't a tone of characters to have to keep track of it was pretty much just the two and then the people that weaved in and out of their lives but it was a nice change. This book was a scary view on a the world, and a world that I never hope comes to be a reality. Very good book and I'm glad that I got the chance to check it out.

Thank you to #netgalley and #legend press for letting me read and review Overdrawn by NJ Crosskey. What started out as a very depressing book ended in hope and love. Set in a dystopian future where older people sign on for an early death to avoid spending health credits so they can pass them onto their children. A scary look at socialism to be honest and not a world I’d ever want to live in.

TITLE: OVERDRAWN
AUTHOR: N J CROSSKEY
PUBLISHER: LEGEND PRESS
ISBN: 9781789550214

NO SPOILERS

Publisher’s description:

""Henry Morris is watching his wife slip away from him. In an ageist society, where euthanasia is encouraged as a patriotic act, dementia is no longer tolerated.

Kaitlyn, a young waitress, is desperate for the funds to keep her brother’s life support machine switched on.

When a chance encounter brings the two together, they embark on an unconventional business arrangement that will force them to confront their prejudices, as well as their deepest, darkest secrets.""

I enjoy dystopian fiction and from the description of Overdrawn I expected a mildly dystopian novel. As I began to read, I realised this dystopia was not going to be mild yet the book never really gets there; it is alluded to but not expanded on, which for me, was a disappointment. However, disappointment in a story can often be overlooked if there is skill in the telling.

Now, normally if I do not enjoy a book, I can at least appreciate it and I am aware there are many others who will love it. I understand an author has given much of their time and honed their craft for the benefit of their readers and I respect this. But I am sorry to have to say I cannot find anything to appreciate in this book. The language is very simple, which, of course, is not always a bad thing but in this case, for me, it needed to be more complex to compensate for the tediously predictable plot. The insertion of backstories and explanations was awkward and clunky. The thoughts of characters, their personal wranglings and realisations were clumsy. Descriptions often felt like afterthoughts added to reach a word count. There is also some very uncomfortable grammar.

I felt Crosskey could have made more of the new society, the new rules and the wider impact. This book focuses on a very small group, really just two characters, their situations, their clumsily written thoughts and the slow dawning of their realities; painfully slow. The circumstances of the story could be the basis for a wonderful book but this story could have been set in any era or society and it feels like a waste of a good idea.

Having said all that, I am not sure who the intended audience is. The language and style are suited to young teen (though some of the subject matter may not be) so perhaps that audience it is not me…actually, it is definitely not me!

Thank you to NetGalley and Legend Press for the Advanced Reader Copy of the book, which I have voluntarily reviewed.

Wow! I always love a book that makes me cry, I thought this one might but there was an unexpected point later on in the book that had me sobbing. It's a good job I wasn't reading that part on the bus!

The story feels so possible, as though it really could be the future. It's just one little jump ahead. The references to the snowflake generation, the concern about the environment, the overuse of computers; they all feel like very current themes. The exploration of where those might end up was really interesting.

Of course no book is any good if you don't believe in the characters and these were really well written. The two main characters Kaitlyn and Henry were both likeable but flawed. I wanted to read on to see what happened next and really invested in their story. A few of the things that happened were predictable but others were unexpected so I was never quite sure which way the ending would go.

This would be a brilliant read for a book group as there would be so much to discuss. I'm off to recommend this to everyone I know.

The book cover is what initially caught my eye, then when I read the blurb I knew I had to read this book. Unusually for me I also checked out what the “Advance praise” was for the book and Christina Dalcher, author of VOX had commented “Keep this book far from anyone who might be tempted to turn its fiction into reality' which intrigued me even more!

The book is set in an era where everyone is encouraged to think about the resources they are using and to try their best to keep their “footprint” as minimal as possible. Every one is given a set amount of “credits” based on their usefulness to society. You are housed by the Council collective, they decide what you do or do not need or deserve in relation to how useful you are to society. To be totally candid, it is something that doesn’t take a whole lot of imagination to think it’s a future possibility should the NHS cease to exist in our country.

Waste of any sort is not tolerated. Even to the point of using your credits for any medical issues you have.
Henry & Chloe Morris, both sixty years old are two of the main characters and are elderly and in need of medical help. They are lucky in that they own their own home which is a rarity in this “modern” age of the supposed principal of everyone having a level playing field to start out their lives. Henry has a prosthetic leg that gives him a lot of pain, causes him to walk with a limp and really desperately needs replacing. Henry is a stubborn man and we first come across him talking to a Dr Johnson about his wife Chloe. Chloe has dementia and sadly it is progressing rather quickly so much so her usual dose of Hepraxin has stopped working. The Dr explains that he can double the dose of Hepraxin, but it will not cure Chloe. The Dr then reveals that Henry has two options, he can have 6 month’s worth of the Hepraxin at the current dose where it’s not working as well as when Chloe first began taking it or he can prescribe 3 months of the Hepraxin at double the usual dose but it would be the last lot of Hepraxin he could give as Chloe & Henry’s credit had reached it’s limit. Dr Johnson suggests perhaps it’s time for Henry to let Chloe go, to let her “move on”
The elderly are encouraged to choose death rather than using up all their credits and money. They are increasingly being pressured to leave a sizable inheritance to the younger generation to give them a good start. Henry has one son, called David, whom he had with his first wife. Henry and Chloe have no living children. The child they had and called Heidi sadly died shortly after birth. There’s much more to be revealed about Heidi and details surrounding her death but I do not want to reveal too much of the story.

The other main characters in the book are Kaitlyn and her hospitalised brother Jack. Jack has had an accident and is on life support, despite reaching the limits of his own credit, his sister Kaitlyn is using her own credits and money from her waitressing job to fund Jacks medical care, in the hope that one day when she visits him, he will suddenly wake up and be okay once again. Jack is all Kaitlyn has, she broke up from her fiancé when he couldn’t understand her decision to keep Jack on life support. Jack was everything to Kaitlyn when she was younger, bringing her out of the awful home with her alcoholic, prostitute of her mother and fed, clothed and cared for her himself.

It’s when Henry and Kaitlyn meet. Henry basically believes that all youngsters are interested in is money and they have no respect at all for their elders, which seems warranted when he stops for a drink in the café that Kaitlyn works at and she serves him rather begrudgingly and sharply. Then he thinks of his wife Chloe and that she would say maybe the young female is having a bad day. When Henry leaves, he adds a tip for the waitress as his wife would have if she had been well enough to be there. It’s that small act of kindness that sets a large chain of events that end up being like a rather large rollercoaster ride into action.

I adored reading this book yet at the same time found it intensely disturbing when you compare it to todays society that we are living in. A society that no longer respects their elders, that doesn’t seem to care for others. The elderly are really viewed and thought of as an unnecessary burden and being over users of resources. On the other hand, the younger generation seem happy to accept the Collective Council telling them their place in society. Telling them where and how to live their lives. The youngers generation had never seemed to yearn for more or to have any ambition, they just blindly accept what they are told. Society has gone from protesting abortions and even condemning contraception. In this new society sterilisation and termination are encouraged. Even more dire, in my opinion early death is encouraged. That is where the “Moving On Initiative” comes in. A large company that encourages those who are ill, or in fact just those who are getting older to end their life themselves via their service. People even have big celebrations called “moving on” parties to say goodbye to all their family and friends. Medical professionals actively encourage it. During the course of the book both Henry and Kaitlyn are offered leaflets explaining and advising on the Moving On Initiative services. There are some pretty sad scenes in this book, with Chloe having on of her “funny turns” as she calls them, then Henry trying to sell his house in order to fund more medication for Chloe. Henry also puts off replacing and updating his prosthetic despite it giving him pain, and affecting his walking and everyday life. Then sadly when Henry discovers his own health issue and has to work out how to deal with it.

Kaitlyn is also continually being told to let her brother go, that she should get on with her own life, think of herself more and not waste more credit on her brother. Kaitlyn keeps remembering all her brother did for her, how he literally rescued her from her own mother, and a life that would have been a lot worse.

My immediate thoughts upon finishing the book were that it was an amazing read. I found the book extremely thought provoking. Get those tissues at the ready for the end section of the book. I don’t know what else to say other than I truly loved it.

I really don’t want to give away much more of the plot, but Henry and Kaitlyn come up with an idea to earn enough money for each of them to continue to help their loved ones stay with them a little longer. I truly loved the ending and it did make me tear up and I continued thinking about it long after finishing the book. Difficult decisions are made and carried out. Certain relationships end, though as they end some important ones are being made too. I honestly loved all the characters with the exception of Kaitlyn & Jacks mother. I think Kaitlyn is very brave in her undertaking at the end of the book. All the lose ends are tied up really well, though a little part of me would love to read more stories set in this society.

It was a bit hard to get into. You had to put yourself in the mindset of the book. However once you did it was a hard hitting story you needed time to appreciate and really take in.